We interrupt this travelogue...

...for some pics from the Silver Creek High School Homecoming! 

Friday night: Flute girl!

Flute girl and friend Morgan! 



Anthony and Allison's cheering section. 

It's Anthony: excellent friend and also player on Team Tasfa!

                                               

Al and Anthony and Morgan are out there somewhere, really. 

Show's over, back to the game! 

 Post game pic of Al and Anth.

     Three good friends--Victoria, Al and Morgan.

   

How did these cute girls become high schoolers?

Gotta love the foot-wear!

Al and Victoria.

All the girls!

  

Just Al.

Corinne N.

Al and Mia!

The whole gang arrives at....Noodles for dinner!

Al and Nathan.

Some of the gang.

More of the gang.

Mia, Morgan, Nathan and Al....on the way to the dance in the mini-van limo.

Beware, this one is very difficult to see

Dear Friends,

Below is a recent post from Desalegn in Shanto (first my note, then his note, then the photo and article to which he refers):

I am humbled beyond thoughts or words to be able to go and do what is within my ability to break the back of the cycle of poverty. Thank you, God! Let's go, Team Tasfa! If we are able to do even a little bit begin to break the cycle of poverty, THAT, even more than feeding programs, is what will change the lives and the destinies of these communities, families....and children. These kids are no different than our kids, really, except they were born into really desperate and difficult lives.

Please, please if you read all the way down to the photograph, be aware that the picture is graphic and terrible. This photo was taken, and the article written, about two years ago. But the problem is as acute now as it was then. I hesitate to include this photo...maybe I'll end up removing it...I don't want to sensationalize the situation ("slumdog tourism?"), but how else can we realize that it's time to do the right things to end this suffering?

From Desalegn:
You can’t imagine this kind of trouble thing happens in the lives of human being. But this had really happened one year ago in and around Shanto, FOVC’s Village and my birth place. It was killed many little children. Killed many beautiful mothers. Killed many old people. Killed many animals. Killed “Enset” false banana, our multipurpose plant. Killed many things.This is still happening to many families in our area.

Today Friends of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (FOVC) straggles to break this cycle, the cycle of poverty and hunger. Let us stand together to break a cycle of poverty in Shanto, Ethiopia! Let us make it history for my children!!! Let us make it history for Bizunesh and her friends!!! Thank you all for joining us to break a cycle of poverty in and around Shanto, Ethiopia!!!

Here is the article:
(Associated Press) SHANTO, Ethiopia — This year's poor rains have nearly killed Bizunesh.

The 3-year-old weighs less than 10 pounds. Her long limbs, weak and folded like a praying mantis, cannot carry even her slight weight. She cannot speak. She doesn't want to eat. Health officials say she is permanently stunted.

Bizunesh — whose name, sadly, means "plentiful" — is one of untold numbers of children hit by this year's double blow of a countrywide drought and skyrocketing global food prices that has brought famine, once again, to Ethiopia.

"She should be bigger than this," said her mother Zewdunesh Feltam, rocking the listless child. "Before there was maize, different kinds of food. But now there is nothing ... I beg for milk from my neighbors."

The U.N. children's agency said in a statement Tuesday an estimated 126,000 Ethiopian children urgently need food and medical care because of severe malnutrition — and called the current crisis "the worst since the major humanitarian crisis of 2003."

The U.N. World Food Program estimates that 2.7 million Ethiopians will need emergency food aid because of late rains — nearly double the number who needed help last year. An additional 5 million of Ethiopia's 80 million people receive aid each year because they never have enough food, whether harvests are good or not.

In Shanto, a southwestern agricultural area that grows sweet potatoes, recent rains arrived too late to save the harvest.

The crisis here is vivid. A feeding center run by the Irish charity GOAL has admitted 73 starving children in the past month.Aid agencies say emergency intervention is not enough and are appealing for more money to support regular feeding programs.                                                                 

Some, like Bizunesh, are frail and skeletal. Others, like 4-year-old Eyob Tadesse, have grossly swollen limbs in a sign of extreme malnutrition.

Eyob, whose mother said he used to be a lively, talkative child, sat in a stupor, unable to speak, not moving even to brush away the flies that swarmed over his face. The sunny room humid with a recent, too late, rain shower was made gloomy by an eerie silence despite being full of sick children. Chronic malnutrition can affect children for life, stunting their growth, brain development and immune systems, which leaves them vulnerable to a host of illnesses.

Many mothers said their families were trying to survive on a gluey, chewy bread made of the root of the "false banana" plant — one of many wild or so-called famine foods that Ethiopians depend on in times of trouble.

It's not known how many children have died or are starving now. Local and international aid and health workers say between 10 and nearly 20 percent of Ethiopia's children are malnourished — 15 percent is considered a critical situation. In 2006, Ethiopia had 13.4 million children under age 5, according to UNICEF.

Samuel Akale, a nutritionist with the government's disaster prevention agency, said the hunger will get worse. "The number of severely malnourished will increase, and then they'll die."

WFP officials say the drought has affected six of Ethiopia's nine regions, stretching from Tigray in the north to the vast and dry Somali region in the south, though not every part of each region is affected.

Spokesman Greg Beals said the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is preparing an appeal for additional tens of millions of dollars.

"This is a real crisis that needs to be addressed," he said.

Ethiopia is a country with a history of hunger. It's food problems drew international attention in 1984 when a famine compounded by communist policies killed some 1 million people. Pictures of stick-thin children like Bizunesh were broadcast onto television sets around the world.

This year's crisis is far less severe. But drought and chronic hunger persist in Ethiopia, a Horn of Africa nation known for its coffee, a major export. In 2003, droughts led 13.2 million people to seek emergency food aid. Drought in 2000 left more than 10 million needing emergency food.

Drought is especially disastrous in Ethiopia because more than 80 percent of people live off the land, and agriculture drives the economy, accounting for half of all domestic production and 85 percent of exports. But many also go hungry because of government policies. Ethiopia's government buys all crops from farmers at fixed low prices. And the government owns all the land, so it cannot be used as collateral for loans.

"What we're doing at the moment is waiting until children get severely malnourished, taking them into the feeding program, getting them back to a level of moderate malnutrition and then watching them cycle back," said Hatty Newhouse, a nutrition adviser from GOAL.

There are fears that the next harvest also will fail.

"We are crying with the mothers and the children," said Akale, the nutritionist.

Fundraiser Photos

The Irish Music Fundraiser for FOVC was a great success! The Mewes'es organized an evening of great music, great Silent Auction items, great people, a great location...and a great big gift to FOVC: about $1800!! Wow! And thank you, Dirk and Debbie, for making this event happen!

Here are a few pictures:

Handsome guy's Ethiopian outfit doing a pre-concert swing....

Meels is a swinger, too.

Amelia's friend (and Bereket's future girlfriend?? He does seem to like her an awful lot!), Lidya Rodda.

Sweet baby Sullivan....ah! the baby days!

The musicians. These guys are GOOD!

This guy LOVES  to dance!



Meelsie is a doll.

Our big beauties: Victoria, Al, Rebecca and Abs.

Mr. Handsome

Lovely Lidya listens.

Thank you again to everyone who supported this wonderful event!

Note from Desalegn

Here is a note Desalegn posted on the FOVC blog. I guess to say we are humbled and honored would be an understatement. As regular and flawed and misguided as we can be (or at least I can be)....to have been picked to partner with this dear young man, for such an exceptional cause...there are no words to suffice.

MY EYES ARE FULL OF TEARS: TEARS OF JOYS, HOPE AND HAPPINESS
In our new year (01/01/2003) I received the following wonderful email from our Board Members which made my eyes full of tears. Do you know why my eyes are full of tears: tears of happiness? I never dreamed and thought that these all great things will happen on behalf of FOVC for the poorest children in Ethiopia. When I started Friends of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (FOVC) four years ago things which I had plenty were hope, belief, commitment and love to help poorest orphans. Thanks to FOVC’s hard working Board Members, Friends of Orphans and Vulnerable Children succeeded these all wonderful achievements. I have many million thanks for Lory, Dave and Stacey and their families and friends for making these things happen for FOVC on behalf of poorest and vulnerable children!

Hello Desalegn,
How are things in Soddo and Shanto? We cannot wait to be there! Thank you for your update this week. I wonder if you have any recent pictures to share of the construction site, or of any recent happenings in Shanto? Also, as you prepare to welcome the new children in to FOVC’s program, would you be able to send their photos and basic information? And please don’t forget: save some orphanage-building work for Team Tasfa! This is soooo important to our group.


Here are some of the things we have accomplished for FOVC recently:


1. Team Tasfa paid for our in-country travel (we are using a company called Spring Ethiopia Tours,  for our in-country travel and to arrange our hotels)! We are also going to stay one night at the Sabana Lodge at Lake Langano, so we paid for that as well. Since we are such a big group, it seemed that hiring Spring Ethiopia’s vehicles would be the most reliable way to get us to the Sidama region.


2. I opened a bank account in the U.S. We think this is the best way to accumulate funds for FOVC, and then to get the funds wired over to Ethiopia.


3. We registered the US charity for FOVC. It is called US-FOVC Ethiopia.


4. We also obtained a 501c3 number for US-FOVC. We are still in the early stages of completing the difficult 501c3 process, however. Many, many thanks to Stacey for leading us through this huge effort!


5. We purchased a couple of URLs– www.fovc.org and www.us-fovc.org. Hopefully, we will finally get going on the website!


6. I had a long conference call with Sharon Bonnett, who, as you know, is the social worker who is working on the sponsorship program. Sharon has lots of great ideas and she is working hard to put things in place for the FOVC children! With your current children, and the 12 children you want to add this year, and the 21 children the local government has asked FOVC to help, we think there will soon be 57 children, is that correct? We believe we will be able to get them sponsored.


7. The local adoptive family held their fundraiser last night, and raised over $1700US for FOVC!


8. As generous people begin to financially support FOVC, there is a lot of tax and record-keeping paperwork for us to do here in the U.S. I am figuring out how to support these aspects of the organizations.


9. The church of two of Team Tasfa’s members has donated $1500US to FOVC.


10. I am communicating often with EOR as they plan their big fundraiser and as we generally partner with them. For Ethiopian Christmas, EOR is preparing small backpacks full of gifts and supplies for all of the FOVC children. Team Tasfa will deliver them. Will 36 backpacks be the correct number when we arrive?


I think this is all for now.


Happy New Year and God bless!


Lory, Dave and Stacey

It's beginning to look a lot like Gena! (a fun, easy way to help!!!)

Hi Friends,
Please see this post below from Ethiopian Orphan Relief's blog. Team Tasfa has the distinct honor of playing Santa, and delivering all of these backpacks to the kids at Children's Heaven and FOVC.

Maybe this sweet and simple project is a great way for YOU to get involved....change the world for a kiddo!

And P.S.--please don't forget that the Celtic Music Concert & Silent Auction for FOVC is tomorrow (Friday, September 10) in Boulder! Come! Join us! Let's clog! :-)

much love,
Lory

                                           *****************************************
Christmas in Ethiopia is called Gena and it’s celebrated on January 7th in Ethiopia. Here at Ethiopian Orphan Relief we’re gathering gifts to put in backpacks for children of Children’s Heaven & FOVC (Friends of Orphans & Vulnerable Children). Through “ProjectGena2010“ your generosity will brighten an orphan’s life. EOR provides the backpacks~~ can you help us fill them

Boy or girl? Email kim@ethiopianorphanrelief.org to make plans to shop for a specific child. Too busy to shop for all the special someones on your personal gift list? A backpack for an Ethiopian child makes a wonderful gift for others. For a donation of 15.00 we’ll shop for you AND send a special card to the honoree of your choice. A personalized letter or photo makes a wonderful addition to any backpack – we welcome yours. We can’t wait to share a photo of the children receiving their gifts, please include your address with your donation so we can send you one too. Here's a short video on ProjectGena2010:

Gena Giving Project - 130 backpacks to children in Ethiopia from Ethiopian Orphan Relief, Inc. on Vimeo.

For those counting, it’s 106 days till Christmas! Let EOR help you take some gifts off your list. Do your children have a service project at school? Feel free to pass along our flier and…

Melkam Gena!

Gift Ideas
Toothbrushes, socks, underwear, small toys, pencils, hair do dad’s, small cars, yo-yo’s, jump ropes, etch a sketch, markers, journals.

Please contact kim@ethiopianorphanrelief.org for questions and address on where to ship your treasures.

FOREIGN TO FAMILIAR -- A Super-Important Book!

Foreign To Familiar has been called a MUST-READ for anyone who is involved in cross-cultural communications or who plans to do work (aid, mission, short-term, long-term) in a foreign culture.

Here's what one expert says about this book:
Foreign to Familiar is a splendidly written, well researched work on cultures. Anyone traveling abroad should not leave home without this valuable resource! Sarah's love and sensitivity for people of all nations will touch your heart. This book creates within us a greater appreciation for our extended families around the world and an increased desire to better understand them.

As a requirement for traveling with Team Tasfa, I am asking every member of the team to read this short book. Our time in Ethiopia will be brief, and an understanding of cultural norms and expectations will be INVALUABLE to each of our team members as we seek to maximize our time and effort in-country!

Here's a review of the book:
In her book Foreign to Familiar, Sarah Lanier seeks to aid the reader in cross-cultural communication and relationships by highlighting the differences between hot- and cold-climate cultures. While these concepts are unfamiliar to most readers, Lanier quickly introduces and defines the categories before discussing them in detail. Having lived in the Middle East, South America, Africa, Europe, and New Zealand, Lanier (who is American) is certainly qualified to address the issue. The reader gets the impression while reading that this book is the fruit of her own experiences and frequent lectures on the subject in different settings.


According to Lanier, "the population of the entire world can roughly be divided into two parts. The two groups represented are 'hot-climate' (relationship-based) cultures and 'cold-climate' (task-oriented) cultures". Lanier recognizes there may some overlap in the two categories, and cites one unnamed person who suggested that she use the terms "hot/tribal" and "cold/urban". She also recognizes that personalities differ within each culture. The primary distinction between the two cultures is that of relational focus as opposed to task focus. Those in the warm-climates tend to emphasize the relationships involved between individuals while those in cold-climates focus on the efficient performance of tasks.


After defining the groups and explaining the primary relationship/task distinction, Lanier spends the next six chapters explaining further manifestations of the cultural differences. In Chapter Three, the focus is on direct versus indirect communication. Chapter Four emphasizes the individualism of the cold-climates over against the group-identity of the hot-climates. Privacy, highly valued in the cold, is contrasted with inclusion as the norm in the cold-climate in Chapter Five.


Chapters Six and Eight discuss two elements of society in which the differences between hot- and cold-climates are very evident: hospitality and time. Those with international travel experience will find themselves laughing with familiarity as they read of Lanier's experiences. Of course, the hot-climates demonstrate much more warm hospitality, while the cold-climates are extremely conscious of time and planning.


In Chapter Seven, Lanier introduces a different distinction between cultures which sometimes clouds the distinction between hot- and cold-climate cultures. This distinction is between high- and low-context cultures. Drawing from Edward T. Hall's Beyond Culture, Lanier defines the high-context culture as the one which has a long history wherein traditions have become very formalized. Low-context cultures are those whose history is briefer, whose population is more diverse, and in which very few traditions have developed.


Some of the strongest points of Lanier's book are its brevity, clarity, and engaging tone of Lanier's style. The reader is aware that Lanier is not writing an academic treatise. Her aim is pragmatic. She delivers fully in Chapter Nine, entitled "Practical Next Steps". Here simple steps are outlined to aid the international traveler or other person who finds himself or herself developing cross-cultural relationships. Perhaps the most beneficial element of the book is the summary found at the end of each chapter. It is not as if the chapters are so lengthy that this is a necessity, but the brief outline form of the summaries makes relocating information very easy.


This book has made a positive contribution to the field of cross-cultural communication. In Foreign to Familiar, Sarah Lanier has provided a clear, brief, practical introduction to several key issues. The book is written on the popular level, making it accessible to a wide audience. This reviewer enjoyed the book and recommends it as a primer for anyone involved in cross-cultural communication.

********************************************************

Team Tasfa, please get this book as soon as possible (here's the link on Amazon). It's only $8.99, and I am confident we all receive a great deal of value by increasing our understanding of the culture in Ethiopia before we travel!

Powerpoint, anyone?

I am creating a simple powerpoint presentation about FOVC, and Team Tasfa's upcoming trip to work with FOVC. Please let me know if you would like a copy of it! Some on Team Tasfa are using it for fundraising presentations, for example.

love,
Lory

PS According to one member of Team Tasfa, it's only something like 113 days until we travel!

Local Fundraiser for FOVC!!!!!

IAN mom Debbie Mewes is putting together this fun concert (with the help of her talented uilleann pipes--and whistle-playing husband!!!) and benefit for FOVC!

It's Friday, September 10 at City on the Hill Church in Boulder. Can you come? Will you join us? Let me know!!!!

love,
Lory

Keep Changing the World

This song just runs through my mind as I think about Team Tasfa's trip to Ethiopia. (Even though it sounds a little bit like a song the cast of "Glee" might sing....I still love it!)

Let's! Go! Change! The! World!

"She said she was happy for me."

Now that David has been home for six months, his English is really, really good. Occasionally, I try to talk to him about his life in Ethiopia: His memories are fading, and I hope to learn as much as I can before he forgets. I figure everything I can learn about his "first life" will be a gift to give back to him someday.

The other day, we were talking about how it was when his first mom said good-bye. This is a subject we have talked about before. I'm still not clear about all of the details, and I still can't tell if she was tearful or stoic.

He did share this time, that his first mom told him she was happy for him as they parted.

As a mom, I cannot imagine. Putting my child in a car. Knowing I would never see him again. Being aware that I would not have any idea where my child would end up. And bravely telling my son that I was happy for him. Because I hadn't been able to give him food and shelter and medical care. So I was happy for him that he might be able to find these fundamental provisions, and a chance at a brighter future, somewhere else in the world.

I cannot imagine.

It makes me more thankful than ever that Team Tasfa is traveling to Ethiopia in just four months. We can't do everything. But we can create an environment where the children will have a place to live, and an education. And perhaps we can get some livestock to the widows And the community members can learn some job skills, and perhaps we can help them sell their products. And in the process, we can bring some joy and some hope. Tasfa.

I Guess It's True

I have always heard that little boys love their mommies. I guess it's true. Bereket picked a bouquet of flowers for me today.

And isn't it kind of neat that this way of showing love...giving flowers....it must be universal!

Bereket has been home for six months now. It hasn't been easy, but it has been good. We are thankful and proud to call Bereket our son.

Oops--by the way: He will start kindergarten this week. He tells his teacher he would like to be called, "David...like my daddy."

Needs -- from Desalegn

Desalegn sent this email to Aneata, one of our group members:

(By the way, Aneata works at our adoption agency, IAN. She has overseen over 65 adoptions from Ethiopia, but she has not yet been there! She has a HUGE heart for the orphans. Aneata has committed to traveling with us, but she must raise funds. She's an artist by training, and she is selling beautiful hand-made (and affordable) jewelry so she can make this trip. Click here to check out her stuff!)

  

                

Ok, back to Desalegn's message:

....My children's big problem is shoes and clothing. As you may haveinformation many Ethiopian children are wearing one cloth for longyears or may not ever wear any cloth. So I need your great support to have any types of clothes and shoes for my children. Please notice that most of the children are somewhat big and need at least L size clothing and medium size shoes. The shoes may be new or old no matter (it looks like boys and girls sizes 7-14 could be really helpful). Any type of exercise books/note books/, pen, school supplies etc are also needed. Any types of toys are also important......

And now, here is Team Tasfa's "take" on Desalegn's message:

I know we are hoping to take up to 200 pillowcase dresses (with t-shirts) for the girls! I know, too, that some in our group have ideas about how to bring clothes for the boys.

Because of the parasites in Ethiopia, shoes are so important. People walk around in bare feet (particularly in rural areas like Shanto), and the parasites get into their skin, and they get terrible diseases like elephantitis. Also, the lack of shoes keeps people from going to many places--like school, or the market, etc. CAN YOU, CAN WE, EVEN IMAGINE???

I'm sure each of us has been asked, "How can I help?" With summer coming to an end, maybe we can ask those who have offered to help to purchase some clearance-priced, end-of-the season shoes? Close-toed shoes are best--like little flats for females and whatever looks sort of comparable for boys. Or, ask people to pick up tops, packages of underwear (these kids have NO underwear), skirts, jeans, etc.

Better yet, maybe some of the big-hearted people you know will donate even $10-$20 that you can take over to Addis. Shoes, in particular, are plentiful and cheap (by U.S. standards) in Addis, and we can easily buy shoes in the city and take them down to Shanto. Dave and I are less confident about buying clothes and underwear over in Addis, however. So, possibly our best plan is to try to collect a few shoes, more clothes/underwear and to plan to buy more shoes in Addis. Remember, too, that we are a greater help to Ethiopia when we buy all that we can buy there, in-country!

This is also a great time of year to pick up cheap school supplies! Just be aware that paper, in particular, gets really heavy in terms of the weight allowance in your luggage. You will be shocked at how easy it is to accumulate 100 pounds' worth of stuff for your luggage!

By the way, when Desalegn says the children are bigger....I think he means they are not babies/toddlers. FOVC primarily serves kids from about 5 years to 15 years. Aneata is right, sizes 7-14 will likely be the best.

Desalegn also mentioned that any type of toys are important, too. I know Aaron has obtained full sets of soccer uniforms for the kids! That makes me think he'll probably bring some soccer balls, too, right? I want to say that our son, Bereket, really loves the little toys that come in Sonic kids' meals, happy meals, Chick-Fil-A meals, etc. Maybe we can start collecting those kinds of little toys to take? Also, we really can't take stuffed animals or stuffed dolls. It is just too dirty there, and soft toys quickly get very unsanitary and have to be thrown away. I recently read about one little Ethiopian girl: her ONLY toy was a tooth she had lost. CAN YOU, CAN WE, EVEN IMAGINE? Let's deliver some fun and joy to Shanto, too!

with so much love,
Lory

Dave's Response to "Slumdog Tourism"

The "Slumdog Tourism" post yesterday has generated some good conversation, in a variety of forums. Love it!

Here's the response my Dave wrote: (By the way, I'm a feeler and he's a thinker...are you surprised?)

The point I wanted to make was that I hope that this won’t be the last trip to Ethiopia for any in our group. This is Lory's and my third trip, and I hope there will be many more. I wouldn’t mind someday relocating to Ethiopia if given the opportunity. The one point this article doesn’t make is the impact that we can have once we return home…and upon return visits. There is nothing that creates true empathy more than seeing the challenges and problems faced in Ethiopia firsthand. But, we can’t let that one visit languish. I view the roles of Team Tasfa members as gaining experience and observing the problems firsthand so that we can best understand what we can do with the resources we have to empower and enable places like Shanto and Korah to move toward becoming self-sustaining, viable, and livable communities…and to provide them with some of the resources and advantages that we have had from the blessing of having been born in America. I know that we can’t even begin to solve the problems outright, but we can be one small step in helping Desalegn and others achieve their goals for their communities.



I don’t know if any of you are familiar with “design thinking”, but it is a methodology used by innovators and designers to develop solutions to problems and challenges predicated on the necessity for firsthand observations. Design thinking methodology was used by my good friend and co-worker when he founded his company, Husk Power Systems, which provides portable power plant systems to rural communities in India driven by the use of “rice husks” or the waste product from rice harvesting. He traveled throughout rural India observing the challenges of not having power and developed a way to deliver electric power by observing how the rural poor lived their lives and the types of resources these people had access to on a daily basis. Understanding that rice was the main crop in rural India, he and a friend developed a way to take the waste product that was being thrown away and use it to generate power…now they have 150 employees and have deployed close to 50 systems which charge rural Indians $2.00 per month for power (where the average income is $3.00 per day).


The bottom line is that there is much we can learn about helping to solve problems in developing nations through observation. The key is taking what we observe and acting on it…not sitting idle after having had the experience (i.e., slumdog tourism). I sent this article out because I know that each one of us will be transformed by the experience and know this will most likely not be our members' only trip to Ethiopia…nor will we forget about all we observe...which will drive continued contemplation and hopefully action in helping to be a part of the solution to some of the challenges and problems we’ll see. It is also our responsibility to carry the message forward through the passion that will come from our firsthand observations and experience.

"Slumdog Tourism"

Frm Dave:
This is a great article that appeared this week in the New York Times and I think should be required reading for all of us contemplating the visit to Korah. It is very important to realize that our dropping in for a day of observation can't be the end of our involvement.

Sharing this article is not meant as a criticism in any way. It's not easy to read, but it's important to think about. It offers an insight and a perspective that can help shape and guide our thinking as we plan and process our roles in the world.

By the way, the writer of the article is a young college student who founded, and runs, a social services organization that serves his "home town," the slums of Nairobi, Kenya.

Thoughts, anyone?

August 9, 2010
Slumdog Tourism
By KENNEDY ODEDE
Nairobi, Kenya


SLUM tourism has a long history — during the late 1800s, lines of wealthy New Yorkers snaked along the Bowery and through the Lower East Side to see “how the other half lives.”


But with urban populations in the developing world expanding rapidly, the opportunity and demand to observe poverty firsthand have never been greater. The hot spots are Rio de Janeiro, Mumbai — thanks to “Slumdog Millionaire,” the film that started a thousand tours — and my home, Kibera, a Nairobi slum that is perhaps the largest in Africa.


Slum tourism has its advocates, who say it promotes social awareness. And it’s good money, which helps the local economy.


But it’s not worth it. Slum tourism turns poverty into entertainment, something that can be momentarily experienced and then escaped from. People think they’ve really “seen” something — and then go back to their lives and leave me, my family and my community right where we were before.


I was 16 when I first saw a slum tour. I was outside my 100-square-foot house washing dishes, looking at the utensils with longing because I hadn’t eaten in two days. Suddenly a white woman was taking my picture. I felt like a tiger in a cage. Before I could say anything, she had moved on.


When I was 18, I founded an organization that provides education, health and economic services for Kibera residents. A documentary filmmaker from Greece was interviewing me about my work. As we made our way through the streets, we passed an old man defecating in public. The woman took out her video camera and said to her assistant, “Oh, look at that.”


For a moment I saw my home through her eyes: feces, rats, starvation, houses so close together that no one can breathe. I realized I didn’t want her to see it, didn’t want to give her the opportunity to judge my community for its poverty — a condition that few tourists, no matter how well intentioned, could ever understand.


Other Kibera residents have taken a different path. A former schoolmate of mine started a tourism business. I once saw him take a group into the home of a young woman giving birth. They stood and watched as she screamed. Eventually the group continued on its tour, cameras loaded with images of a woman in pain. What did they learn? And did the woman gain anything from the experience?


To be fair, many foreigners come to the slums wanting to understand poverty, and they leave with what they believe is a better grasp of our desperately poor conditions. The expectation, among the visitors and the tour organizers, is that the experience may lead the tourists to action once they get home.


But it’s just as likely that a tour will come to nothing. After all, looking at conditions like those in Kibera is overwhelming, and I imagine many visitors think that merely bearing witness to such poverty is enough.


Nor do the visitors really interact with us. Aside from the occasional comment, there is no dialogue established, no conversation begun. Slum tourism is a one-way street: They get photos; we lose a piece of our dignity.


Slums will not go away because a few dozen Americans or Europeans spent a morning walking around them. There are solutions to our problems — but they won’t come about through tours.


Kennedy Odede, the executive director of Shining Hope for Communities, a social services organization, is a junior at Wesleyan University.

"Little Dresses for Africa"

For those of you who are sewing pillowcase dresses, or who are interested in sewing pillowcase dresses.... check out this darling site that Shawn, my friend and EOR board member sent.

Really, take a minute to look at these pictures!

If these darling pictures, of these darling girls, in these darling dresses don't inspire us, then nothing will!!!

I know I feel pretty when I get a new dress. How special will the girls feel when they get their first-ever new dress?

Let's! Get! Sewing!

More News!

Hello Friends!

Surprise, surprise, more exciting things are happening as we prepare for our trip.For one thing, Team Tasfa has grown to twenty-three confirmed travelers!

My friend (though I have never met her!) and IAN mom, Sharon, is coming. Sharon is a real, live social worker who has--for years--been burdened to help orphans. It has been her heart's desire to work in on orphan sponsorship program. And now she has her chance, because Sharon will be taking on FOVC's child sponsorship program. Those of you who are interested in sponsoring a child--stay tuned, because your opportunity to change a life is coming! If you can't wait to meet Sharon, visit her at her blog!

Here is what Desalegn wrote when I told him Sharon is coming:
Thank you Lory sooooooooo much for sharing this wonderful news with me. This is the answer for my prayer. Please appreciate Sharon on behalf of my staff and me and the Board of FOVC. And tell her also all about FOVC and its Orphan and Vulnerable Children Care and Education Program (OVCCEP). I think you are familiar with OVCCEP now.

Also, Mitch C., a pastor from our church is coming, along with his wife. When I emailed Desalegn about the possibility of Mitch teaching and encouraging the FOVC staff, and possibly any interested local church leaders, here is how he responded:
Lory I have a strong but smooth and life changing question for you. Lory: Shall we also prepare a church conference in Shanto? Please, please let me know this soon. Because I should have to contact the local churches and other concerned bodies about this issue soon if we want to prepare church conference. If we do so the pastor will preach to 1000 to 10,000 people in and around Shanto and will draw many souls to Christ. It will be the second fold opportunity for FOVC and your church Lory. So shall we try it????! Thanks!!!

Obviously, we are all overwhelmed to the point of goosebumps, at the many incredible opportunities that are unfolding as we prepare to travel to Shanto. In addition to these new opportunities, we're taking the pillowcase dresses to the girls, something special for the boys, full sets of soccer uniforms, a medical team, lots of expertise and passion, builders, an architect, engineers, seed money to purchase livestock for the widows, art projects for the kids, a mini-VBS for the kids, skills training for the widows and community members...plus a few other initiatives that are still in the works. And, or course, lots of love and encouragement!

Thankfully, our group is focused and gifted and talented and passionate. I love that each member of Team Tasfa has a unique calling for this trip. I can't wait to see how everything is going to unfold.

With so much love,
Lory

Travelers and Dress-Makers--NOW is the time to do your shopping!

Hi Everyone!

I was at Target tonight, and it occurred to me that NOW is the best time for many of us to purchase supplies for our trip. When we travel in December, it will be winter here in the U.S. BUT, it will be summer in Ethiopia! Summer stuff is on clearance in most stores right now, so stock up! Also, you can be sure that "summer" clothes will be hard to find in November or December, right? Here are the kinds of items you will need:

• Females can wear jeans, long pants, longish skirts and crop pants (not shorts)
• Guys can wear jeans or long pants (not shorts)
• Guys and gals can wear short sleeve shirts and t-shirts (not tanks, not sleeveless)
• You will want washable sandals/flip-flops to wear in the guest house and hotel
• You will want close-toed shoes for Addis and Soddo/Shanto....at least 2 pairs!
• You will want a hat or two
• Sunscreen, bug spray, chapstick, lotion, etc etc....you will be hot and dry, especially in Shanto!
• A jacket, hoodie or sweatshirt
• Plan to dress humbly and simply. There is always the chance that some of your clothes might not make it back....so don't bring your designer duds! Also, we do not want to draw even more attention to ourselves by wearing anything but the simplest of clothes. Keep in mind, too, that Africans tend to dress a bit more formally than we do--and not entirely in graphic t's!

• For our pillow case dress makers: please plan to send a simple, inexpensive, solid-color t-shirt with each dress. These types of tops are REALLY CHEAP right now....and you won't be able to find them once fall gets here. Dear friends, please sew some of these dresses! We can't wait to share pictures of the joy on the girls' faces when they receive their very own, new dresses.

By the way, our group has grown to twenty travelers!

with love and thanks,
Lory

Korah: We Will Go There

The Village of Korah - A short documentary from Session 7 Media on Vimeo.

YEAR: 2010


SYNOPSIS
This is a short documentary that explores the current state of one of Ethiopia's poorest villages, the village of Korah and the challenges the people there face every day.

ABOUT KORAH
The village of Korah is a small village just outside Addis Ababa, the capitol city of Ethiopia. The village was founded over seventy five years ago by people inflicted with leprosy, seeking treatment in Addis. Three generations later, over 100,000 people live in Korah, most of whom have leprosy, HIV/AIDS, are widows or orphans. Their extreme poverty has forced many of the villagers to forage through a local trash dump to find enough food to survive each day.

For more information about Korah, visit:
MissionEthiopia.com
HelpKorah.com

SPECIAL THANKS
To our guide Samuel Liben and all the people of Korah who opened their homes and hearts to us, trusting our intentions with the footage and stories we collected there. They will not be forgotten and our work for them has only just begun.

And Then They Were Sixteen...I mean, Seventeen!...er, Eighteen!

Update: Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen people have now purchased airfare for our trip. Amazing! We are "in negotiations" with several more. Can't wait to see where we end up! (But I know we have to stop soon!)

Fillin' Up Fast

Hi Friends,

When we started planning this grand adventure just a few weeks ago, we wondered if "enough" people would come with us.

Now, we find almost all of the available "slots" are filled!

It is looking like an architect might join us--yea!

And a few more fantastic females--yea!

There are a couple more people who are about to jump in, too.

But we still need some men! Really, what's the deal: So many females have hopped right in. But the men seem to be more tentative? Man up! Let's go change the world!

More Projects We Will Tackle

Hello Dear Friends!

So much is happening, there is new news every day, and new details to work through. (For someone who doesn't really wrangle details all that well, I am being stretched in every way!)  But, oh!, I have been so blessed in this support role!

We still need a man or two, and we still need someone who knows about bookkeeping. And maybe someone who has the passion and ability to help formalize FOVC's orphan sponsorship program (see Desalegn's plea below!). We are also looking for someone(s) who has skills in building or design....it looks like we will have the opportunity to work on more projects than only the orphanage. All of these needs are so important for the purposes of our trip!

In addition to everything else we want to take on, I have been in communication with Desalegn about some of the needs for the village--especially the orphans and widows--of Shanto. Desalegn is such a wise and smart young man! Because his writing is so eloquent, I will share it all here:    

Lory's question: If we are able to raise funds to purchase some livestock for the widows and children, what types of animals would you recommend, what would be the cost, and how would you implement such a program?
Desalegn's answer: Through my experience I understand that the people of Shanto need cows, sheep, goats and hens to completely change their live and their children's live and to help their children with school supplies and food and clothes. And they depend on these animals to break the cycle of poverty. In our culture, anyone who has these animals together with "inset," or false banana, in is garden is considered as wealthy and has the ability to do everything others do.

So providing one or two or all of these animals to a widow having no any animal means changing her life, her children life and her family life completely from poverty to wealth and brings mental, spiritual and physical satisfaction for her. In our community, each widow has five, up to seven, children and siblings and sometimes her own parents and husband's parents who are very old to do anything by themselves so they are waiting on her to help them. So providing these animals to a widow has many values, not only to herself but also for her children and siblings and parents. Here are the current prices of the animals in the markets of Shanto and Boditti (9 km away from Shanto). Please note the prices have been raised in the last two or three years:

• Cow = $350 USD
• Oxen = $275 USD (helps a widow to plough her own farm land)
• Sheep = Female - $35 USD, Male - $32.50USD
• Goat = Female – $32 USD, Male - $35 USD
• Hen = Male - $3 USD, Female - $2.75 USD

Rather than giving these animals to a single widow, it is better if we train the widows as a group how to develop livestock before giving animals. The reason is because, everyone around Shanto uses traditional methods to develop livestock. So it is better if I train a widow in a group with other widows, in our case in a group of seven widows, how to develop livestock in a modernized way. This will also help a widow share her ideas with others and working in a group ("daguwa" in our language) is better for a widwo and makes her feel strong and has working friends. "Daguwa" means doing anything better, standing together and etc. in our language. So a daguwa of seven members will have much more strength than one widow.

The other thing what I know about the people of Shanto and other people in the region and what I want you to know is that, asking them for matching fund of 10%-20% makes them more happier, feel stronger and the owner of the animals. So I am thinking of this strategy in our case. For instance, if we buy a cow with $300USD for a widow, we will ask her to provide a matching fund of $30USD.I want the fund returned back after one to three years and given to the other widows in the region to help them funded with animals. This method will help me sustain our Widows Hope Program (WHP) in a good manner.

Lory's question: If we raised funds for metal bunkbeds for the orphanage, could you purchase them in Ethiopia? How many would you need, and what do you think might be the cost?
Desalegn's answer: Yeah, I can purchase the metal bunkbeds here in Ethiopia. I know there are some good workshops in Ethiopia which provide these types of beds with good quality. If the price includes blanket, bed sheet and other necessary things it costs $250-$300USD for each pair of beds. We need nine metal bunkbeds for eighteen special orphans and three reserves for some other orphans.

Lory's question: Would there be any value in supplying the screens and installation materials to cover the windows in the new buildings, in order to keep mosquitoes and other insects outside?
Desalegn's answer: Yes, window screens have large values. As you know well the most difficult diseases in Shanto are malaria and other preventable diseases. So the screens and installation materials will help us prevent malaria.

Lory's question: What is the current status of sponsors for the children?
Desalegn's answer: I am always concerned with the children to have long-time sponsors than short-time donations. The reason is that it is very difficult for me to look at a child who is suffering with lack of food, clothing, shoes and other things. As I informed you before, among twenty-four orphans, only two are being sponsored. But the others do not have any sponsor. So I beg you to find sponsorship for each child. If a child is sponsored and educated or trained, he will feed and clothe himself and the other orphans in his own area later. That will help us to have good foster families in the area in the future. So let's work hard and hand-in-hand to find sponsorship for each orphan. If we can find sponsorship for the children, it will make all of us so much happier.

The other thing I want to let you know is that there are also many orphaned children who are in our waiting list. And I am thinking of admitting some twelve and more orphans in the next Ethopian new year.

So....who's ready to change the world? Even if you're not traveling with us, what will you do? What CAN you do? Before our family got involved, I somehow thought the people in countries like Ethiopia were different than me. Pain wasn't so painful to them. Love wasn't so full for them. Need didn't feel so desperate to them.

Oh, I was so wrong. Our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia experience love and need just like we do. They definitely exhibit love and joy more fully than is common here in the U.S. And they experience pain and need--often on a daily basis--far more deeply than most of us ever will.

So, what can you do? What will you do? I really believe God is watching our responses.

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

Pillow Case Dress Update!

Hi Everyone,

For those of you who are interested in making pillowcase dresses....will you consider picking up a t-shirt to go under the dress? Modesty is highly-valued in Ethiopia, and it could cause offense if we dress the girls in sleeve-less dresses. So, an inexpensive t-shirt--long or short-sleeved--with the dress will truly be a PERFECT gift for these little girls who have probably never owned new clothes, let alone a new dress!

So much thanks and love,
Lory

O.M.G(oodness)!

Here is Desalegn's most current post on FOVC's blog.

Thank you Ethiopian orphan Relief, Inc. (EOR) so many times for this beautiful building which will be started soon. We do not have enough words to express our pleasure for your great supports. This will be the first and the most beautiful building in Shanto that your money will build for my children and people. Any suggestions and comments are welcome in order to improve the buildings quality. As I have BSc degree in Civil Engineering, I can adopt some good suggestions and comments which fits with our soil property and other aspects. Thank you all for participating to build a home for homeless children in Shanto!!! This is really great for the people of Shanto. -Desalegn

A Great Update (hint: it's about toilets!)

Here is a great email from Desalegn...scroll down for pictures!

UPDATE: NEW TOILET FACILITY
Our current toilet facility is somewhat very difficult to use, especially for little children and my staff. (Lory's note: click here for pictures of the previous facility!) It was our primary need to build a toilet with its full facility. So we have started building a toilet house with four rooms. Here are some pictures, which my documentation and record staff, took from our new toilet facility building site.


Thank you all for this newly under construction toilet. We are so much happy and it is a huge love and support from you all to us. We will keep updating you with all other progresses.I think you have received my email which is about updates of our new toilet which is currently under construction. If you have any comment please let me know. In my consideration we are progressing well. How is it for you?


We are highly prepared to start our other buildings such us bedrooms and bathrooms for orphans with especial need, kitchen facility, multipurpose hall, school, and bedrooms for different guests who come to visit their sponsored children and/or to provide service for our children and villagers and etc. These all is new in the life of Shanto and me. Thank you all for your huge love and support for this great change in Shanto!!! -

 
Aren't they doing beautiful work?!?
 
love,
Lory

THIRTEEN!

Thirteen travelers have purchases tickets for our Ethiopia trip.

We're goin' to Ethiopia, baby!

It's not too late for you to join us!

In particular, we still need a man or two and a bean-counter type!

Send Some Dresses for the Little Girls (Pillow Case Dress Instructions)

Hello Again!

A few of us have seen a great idea for "pillow case dresses." These are easy (and affordable) to make. Perhaps some of you would like to make some of these dresses for us to take to Ethiopia? Can you imagine the joy a little girl would feel to be able to pick out and OWN, a brand-new dress???

A google search yielded lots of "recipes" for these dresses. Here are a few sites that look pretty good to me:

• Site #1 (you can click to get a pdf instruction sheet).
• Site #2 (includes lengths for girls up to 8-9 years old)
• Site #3 (includes tips for cute embellishments and etc.)

Most of  these patterns are for girls size 2T to 8-9 years old. "Site #3" includes the following tip: You can adjust a pillowcase dress for older girls as well, by simply cutting a bigger armhole and adding fabric to the hem. The nice thing about sizing a pillowcase dress is that it doesn't have to be precise. So, if you are handy with these things, please consider making some longer dresses for girls who are 10'ish to 13'ish years old!

Here are photos of these darling dresses. They are so cute!

• On a related note, here is a pattern for a little "bandana dress"--very cute, too!

I think this project would be a great way to get even more people involved in our Be The Change / Change The World Tour 2010-2011!

Who wants to sew some dresses?